REMOTELY CONFIGURABLE USER DEVICE FOR ACCESSING A DISTRIBUTED TRANSACTION SYSTEM

• US 20100180018A1
• Filed: 01/09/2010
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ganart Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ganart Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: CACHERIA, ANTHONY M. III, EDWARDS, WEBB, MCHUGH, WAYNE THOMAS, HOOKER, DAVID, JENKINS, BARRETT, HOLBROOK, ARTHUR MARTIN, GLOVER, KRISTOPHER
• Granted Patent: US 8,255,499 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1053 Employment or hiring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1057 Benefits or employee welfare, e.g. insurance, holiday or retirement packages
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1091 Recording time for administrative or management purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/065 using e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/08 Payment architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1085 involving automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/125 Finance or payroll

Abstract

A system for interfacing predetermined external services provided by service providers to a user at a fixed location includes a processing platform running an operating system and a plurality of physical system resource interfaces for interfacing with available physical system resources allowing a user to gain access to the predetermined external services, a data store associated with the processing platform stores configuration information defining ones of a plurality of external services, a communication interface enables the operating system to communicate with a central office to download of configuration information for one or more of the external services and to facilitate access to a selected one of the external services.

Claims

1. A system for interfacing predetermined external services provided by service providers to a user at a fixed location, comprising:

a processing platform running an operating system;

a plurality of physical system resource interfaces for interfacing with available physical system resources, the physical system resources allowing a user to gain access to the predetermined external services;

a data store for storing configuration information, the configuration information defining ones of the plurality of external services that are available to a user wherein there are a plurality of configurations stored in the data store, each associated with a predetermined service and one or more of the available physical system resources;

a communication resource for interfacing with the operating system to allow communication of the operating system with a central office for downloading of configuration information; and

wherein the communications resource in conjunction with configuration information facilitates access to a selected one of the external services.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the physical system resource interfaces is uniquely associated with a defined one of the physical system resources.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the physical system resources comprises a display.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes at least one configuration script that defines a sequence of actions to allow a user to gain access to a predetermined desired service using one or more of the physical system resources.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operating system is adaptable to monitor through the physical system resource interfaces available physical system resources and inform the central office of the availability thereof through said communication resource.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the physical system resource interface is adaptable to allow the operating system to determine if a physical system resource is operating after it is actually interfaced with an associated one of the physical system resource interfaces.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the physical system resource interface is connected to allow the operating system to determine if a physical system resource is actually interfaced with an associated one of the physical system resource interfaces.

8. A system for interfacing predetermined external services provided by service providers to a user at a fixed location, comprising:

a processing platform running an operating system;

a plurality of physical system resource interfaces for interfacing with available physical system resources, the physical system resources allowing a user to gain access to at least two predetermined external services;

a data store for storing configuration information, the configuration information defining the at least two external services that are available to a user wherein there are at least two configurations stored in the data store, each associated with one of the at least two predetermined services and one or more of the available physical system resources and wherein the use of the same physical resource is required for access to each of the at least two external services;

a communication resource for interfacing with the operating system to allow communication of the operating system with a central office for downloading of configuration information; and

wherein the communications resource in conjunction with configuration information facilitates access to a selected one of the at least two external services.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein one of the physical system resources comprises a display.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein one of the physical system resources comprises a keyboard.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the configuration information includes at least one configuration script that defines a sequence of actions to allow a user to gain access to a predetermined one of the at least two desired services using one or more of the physical system resources.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the operating system is adaptable to monitor through the physical system resource interfaces available physical system resources and inform the central office of the availability thereof through said communication resource.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the physical system resource interface is adaptable to allow the operating system to determine if a physical system resource is operating after it is actually interfaced with an associated one of the physical system resource interfaces.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the physical system resource interface is connected to allow the operating system to determine if a physical system resource is actually interfaced with an associated one of the physical system resource interfaces.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein a common communication resource is used to interface the operating system with the central office to download configuration information enabling access to each selected one of the external services.

16. A method for interfacing predetermined external services provided by service providers to a user at a fixed location, comprising:

providing a processing platform running an operating system;

providing a plurality of physical system resource interfaces for interfacing with available physical system resources, the physical system resources allowing a user to gain access to the predetermined external services;

providing a data store for storing configuration information, the configuration information defining ones of the plurality of external services that are available to a user wherein there are a plurality of configurations stored in the data store, each associated with a predetermined service and one or more of the available physical system resources;

providing a communication resource for interfacing with the operating system to allow communication of the operating system with a central office for downloading of configuration information wherein the communications resource in conjunction with configuration information facilitates access to a selected one of the external services;

receiving user input with one or more of the physical system resources identifying a user and a user selected one of available external services; and

accessing configuration information corresponding to the selected external service to enable a user to access the selected service.